Conventionally, as a vehicle provided with a transversely disposed engine whose rotational axis is aligned with a vehicle width direction, there are known a front-wheel drive vehicle in which only front wheels are driven, and a four-wheel drive vehicle in which four wheels are driven.
In the case of a front-wheel drive vehicle, a power train constituted by a transversely disposed engine and a transmission is, for instance, supported on a vehicle body via a right mount bracket and a left mount bracket mounted on both ends of the power train in the vehicle width direction, and a rear mount bracket mounted on the transmission.
On the other hand, in the case of a four-wheel drive vehicle, a power train (in the specification, equivalent to a power plant) includes a transversely disposed engine, a transmission, and a transfer. The power train is, for instance, supported on a vehicle body via a right mount bracket and a left mount bracket mounted on both ends of the power train in the vehicle width direction, and a rear mount bracket mounted on the transfer.
As described above, whereas a rear mount bracket is connected to a transmission in a front-wheel drive vehicle, a rear mount bracket may be connected to a transfer in a four-wheel drive vehicle.
For instance, a power train structure for a vehicle described in Patent Literature 1 is such that in a four-wheel drive vehicle provided with a transversely disposed engine, a front portion (an engine rear mount bracket 66) of a rear mount bracket is fixedly connected to a lateral portion of a transfer, and a rear portion (a member-side mounting member 60) of the rear mount bracket is fixedly connected to an engine rear mount member.
The engine rear mount member has a shape such that the member bulges upwardly of a vehicle between a driver's seat and a passenger's seat, and transverses in the vehicle width direction at a position below a tunnel portion extending in the front-rear direction. Further, a rear portion (the member-side mounting member 60) of the rear mount bracket is disposed laterally of a propeller shaft, which passes through a space surrounded by the tunnel portion and the engine rear mount member.
In recent years, there is a need for preventing a floor panel including a tunnel portion from bulging into a vehicle compartment in the aspect of securing a space of the vehicle compartment for passengers, and optimizing a pedal layout.
However, in Patent Literature 1, a space for a driver's seat and a passenger's seat may be narrowed because the length of the tunnel portion in the vehicle width direction increases by disposing the mount bracket laterally of the propeller shaft.
Thus, in the power train structure for a vehicle in Patent Literature 1, there is an inconvenience that an appropriate driving position cannot be set due to limitation on an installation space for an accelerator pedal or a brake pedal.